Category Archives: Concert

Ozzy Osbourne stalked the stage with manic delight. Tony Iommi burned through one face-melting guitar lead after another. And Geezer Butler’s basslines were as heavy as heavy can be.

It was a thing of thundering beauty, made all that more poignant by the knowledge that there won’t be many more opportunities to experience it again.

It was the beginning of a long goodbye for local fans, as the legendary heavy metal band Black Sabbath brought its farewell tour to the SAP Center in San Jose on Tuesday. The other shoe is scheduled to drop when Ozzy and crew return to the Bay Area to perform on Sept. 15 at Oracle Arena in Oakland.

The British band managed to underscore all the reasons why it will be so dearly missed during Tuesday’s show. Indeed, Sabbath sounded so strong that, at times, it seemed like an absolutely ludicrous idea for these guys to even be thinking about hanging it up. Yet, if the goal is to go out on top — in peak fighting form — then Sabbath is right on track.

Following the opening set by Rival Sons, the main attraction took the stage and slowly uncurled its namesake song, the epic title track to the 1970 debut “Black Sabbath.” Osbourne’s vocals, which have ranged greatly in quality over the years, sounded comparatively strong on this night — powerful, confident and (mostly) clear. The 67-year-old former reality TV star also showed a goodly amount of energy, running about and clapping his hands.

The group then charged through “Fairies Wear Boots,” from the 1970 quadruple-platinum effort “Paranoid.” Iommi starred in this song, like he did in so many others. The supremely talented guitarist, who has battled cancer in recent years, was a regular volcano of riffs, firing off leads so hot they should’ve come with warning labels.

The sold-out crowd, numbering some 13,000 strong, reacted with great enthusiasm to the heavy metal onslaught. The fans, many of whom were old enough to possibly remember buying “Paranoid” on eight-track tape, sang along at top volume and pumped their firsts in air for much of the approximately two-hour show.

The set list drew almost exclusively from the band’s first three albums. Unfortunately, Sabbath only played one track (“Snowblind”) from what is, by far, its best album — 1972’s “Vol. 4” — and it entirely skipped over 1973’s “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.” Hearing the title track to the later, after all, should be required at all Sabbath shows.

Sabbath did find time for “Dirty Women,” a tune that stands as one of the few reasons for listening to the band’s seventh studio album, 1976’s “Technical Ecstasy.” It also remembered “God Is Dead?” from “13,” the band’s 19th — and supposedly final — album.

Supporting Iommi, Osbourne and Ward — three founding members of the band — was Tommy Clufetos, a powerhouse drummer who has worked with Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie and others. Clufetos was handling the beats and rhythms originally made famous by Bill Ward, who left the fold in 2013.

The band closed the main set with an epic run through “Children of the Grave,” which featured more fireworks from Iommi, and then returned for an encore of “Paranoid.”

From Ozzy Osbourne’s throaty screams to Tony Iommi’s ribbons of guitar notes, Black Sabbath was Black Sabbath at least one more time Saturday (Feb. 6) at the Tacoma Dome.

It was the Northwest stop of the band’s final tour, billed as “The End.” It’s safe to say the expectations of the 20,000-plus fans there were met — and probably exceeded.

The group credited with inventing heavy metal began with its titular track, as the JumboTron showed a demon born from a red egg and light washed over the crowd like a bath of fire. The rush of energy in the Dome felt genuine and celebratory

Osbourne, Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler were joined by 36-year-old drummer Tommy Clufetos, who filled in for original member Bill Ward.

Known for its looming, brooding rebellion and big, bassy rhythms mixed with quick yet heavy guitar riffs, the band struck note after note, beat after beat perfectly during its 14-song, 100-minute set. Butler and Iommi were exceedingly proficient, their fingers metronomic.

Hits included “Paranoid” and “War Pigs,” each of which spawned head bangs and fist pumps from the adoring crowd.

Though Osbourne, Iommi and Butler, all in their late 60s, were visibly slowed by age — including Osbourne’s slight physical tremors and his well-known muttering — the band’s music didn’t suffer. And besides, the point of the night was to appreciate, not criticize, if for just one more time.

The point was for the gray-haired heavy-metal fan 25 rows up to forget his day-to-day grind, lean as far over the railing as he could, hold an invisible microphone in both hands, and shout-sing the lyrics for over an hour and a half. The point was to live for just one more night in the bat-chewed, dark art of heavy-metal music.

This did not seem to be lost on Osbourne, who said to the audience, “Thank you for my life,” before exiting the stage with his band.

The all-star Camp Freddy band, who’ve now changed their name to the Royal Machines, continued a tradition of guest-packed holiday shows this weekend as they welcomed Ozzy to the stage. Watch video of their take on Black Sabbath‘s ‘War Pigs’ and Ozzy’s solo anthem ‘Crazy Train’ (below).
Led by Billy Morrison (of Billy Idol / Cult fame), the Royal Machines also include Chris Chaney and Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction, Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray, Adrian Young of No Doubt and actor Donovan Leitch. They gathered at the Roxy Theatre in Hollywood on Friday and Saturday (Dec. 19-20); Ozzy took the stage on Friday.
“This is the first Royal Machines’ residency, following in the footsteps of the previous seven Camp Freddy residencies,” Morrison told the Sunset Strip. “And so picking one show out is almost impossible now. There are so many moments from so many years that stand out.”

Ozzy Osbourne headlined the Hyundai Card Citybreak music festival in Seoul, South Korea earlier tonight. The two-day event, which is being held August 9-10 at Seoul World Cup Stadium, also includes performances by the alternative rock band HOOBASTANK, former BON JOVI guitarist Richie Sambora, Japanese signature rock band LOCOFRANK, groove metal band COCOBAT and local punk rock band YELLOW MONSTERS.
While it remains unclear whether BLACK SABBATH will record another studio album, Osbourne appears certain to continue with his solo career. Ozzy’s touring guitarist, Gus G., told Noisefull in a recent interview, “Ozzy wants to do another solo album, that’s for sure. As far as I know, he has a contract for three more solo albums, so I don’t know when he will finish them, if he’ll do them and if I’m going to be a part in it, but I certainly know that he wants to do one more solo album.”

Band featured also Adam Wakeman, Blasco, Tommy Clufitos.
Setlist featured classic tracks played during the Scream world tour enhance with the rarely played “fire in the sky”:

GRAMMY-winning metal icon Ozzy Osbourne was honored with the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award for his dedication and support of the MusiCares MAP Fund. The Village studios owner/CEO Jeff Greenberg received MusiCares’ From the Heart Award for his unconditional friendship and dedication to the mission and goals of the organization.

Performers included Metallica, Slash, Ozzy Osbourne, Beth Hart, Keb’ Mo’, Billy Morrison, Dave Navarro, and Chad Smith. Metallica ended their set with a well chosen and perfect transition track to Ozzy set: Diary of a Madman!!!
Ozzy played a good blend of his and sabbath classic anthems:

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